England has withdrawn its team from the World Badminton Championships, due to kick off in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad due to security concerns. England says it is acting on concerns about the team potentially being a target of a specific terrorist threat.

A security guard stands guard inside an indoor badminton stadium ahead of the world badminton championships in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad August 9, 2009.[CCTV/Reuters]

And it is not prepared to take such a risk to the safety of its players. The team also took advice from the British Foreign Office and the High Commission in India. The day before the England team's decision, the World Badminton Federation said it was satisfied with security arrangements.

The tournament is due to start on Monday. Security around the main venue and training facilities has been beefed up by special teams with metal detectors and sniffer dogs.

(CCTV August 10, 2009)